In a Boston courtroom on Friday, Harvard University implored a judge to dismiss a series of lawsuits filed by grieving families who allege the mishandling of their loved ones’ remains at the hands of its medical school. The families claim that organs and body parts donated for medical research were illicitly sold on the black market by Cedric Lodge, the former manager of Harvard’s morgue.
Martin Murphy, representing the university, expressed Harvard’s deep regret for the distress caused by Lodge’s alleged actions but asserted that Massachusetts law shielded the institution from liability unless the families could prove a failure to act in “good faith.”
Murphy contended that none of the lawsuits provided factual evidence implicating anyone other than Lodge in the wrongful conduct. He made this argument before Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Salinger, who is expected to deliver a ruling on the matter as promptly as possible.
However, attorneys for the families challenged Harvard’s immunity claims, arguing that the state’s Uniform Anatomical Gift Act did not absolve the university of responsibility for permitting the unlawful display, dismemberment, and trafficking of donor bodies in its possession.
Kathryn Barnett, representing the families, conveyed their devastation upon discovering the alleged misconduct at Harvard. The families, she noted, were seeking answers and understanding through the legal proceedings, questioning how the prestigious institution could have overlooked Lodge’s actions over an extended period.
Judge Salinger acknowledged the gravity of the case, promising a swift ruling in what he described as a “very troubling and difficult case.”
These lawsuits emerged in the aftermath of federal charges filed in June against Lodge and five others accused of trafficking human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas mortuary. Prosecutors outlined Lodge’s activities between 2018 and 2022, wherein he allegedly allowed potential buyers into the morgue to select and purchase body parts, subsequently resold by the buyers.
Lodge and his wife, who pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods charges, are scheduled to face trial in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, along with two other defendants on April 1.
The outcome of this legal battle will undoubtedly shape the narrative surrounding Harvard’s response to the morgue scandal and the accountability it bears for the alleged actions of its former employee.
